Mogul type (2-6-0) engine #1727 was donated by Southern Pacific to the City of Dunsmuir in 1957.
It underwent some restoration in the 1980s under the auspices of local resident Bruce Petty. Thereafter, it remained nestled under trees and encroaching vegetation on Dunsmuir Ave at the entrance to the Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens progressively deteriorating inside a chicken wire enclosure (see the three photos at the end of this page). From this relatively exposed site, thieves made off with the marker lights, most of the brass in the cab and the whistle.
Following Bruce Petty's death in 2019, however, a group of dedicated local volunteers began fund-raising for its restoration, and I'm very happy to show the results of their work on this page.
A core group of five or six individuals worked on the engine and the double-mount lower quadrant semaphore.They began by tearing down the old fencing and clearing the site. A commercial painting company was hired to clean and paint the engine basic black while the indicators, lights and other fittings were removed and rehabbed off site.
Once cleaned, painted and lettered, there were worries vandals might “tag” the engine.
With insufficient funds to secure the site, a member of the community paid nearly $16,000 for new metal fencing, and an electrical contractor donated nearly $10,000 for security lighting.
Once the engine was secure, volunteers began to add back details that had been damaged or stolen, with a local crane company assisting where needed.
A headlight (with glass reflector) and a 5-chime whistle were donated by an enthusiast in Oregon, while the marker lights were donated by another enthusiast in Arizona.
#1727 was re-dedicated to the city on June 12, 2021.
Work cost c.$36,000, and there are still plans to replace the wooden running boards, cab floor, side windows and arm rests. Although it will never run again, #1727 now stands proudly, a stone’s throw from the I5, something the city of Dunsmuir can be proud of, and a testament to those who worked on its restoration.
Sixty-nine M-6 Class (#1725-#1769 & #1780-#1803) locomotives were built for the SP in 1901 by Burnham, Williams & Co.
Delivered as Vauclain compounds with
15½” x 28” high pressure and 26” x 28” low pressure cylinders, they were simpled in 1912 with 22” x 28” cylinders. In 1919, they were superheated, raising their weight from 174,000 lbs (150,400 lbs on their drivers) to 184,700 lbs (159,000 lbs on their drivers). Tractive effort also rose from 26,785 lbs to 33,320 lbs.
Built as an oil burner, after superheating, #1727 operated at a boiler pressure of 200 psi with a 49.5 sq ft grate, 170 sq ft firebox and total heating surface of 2,380 sq ft, including 373 sq ft superheating. It has 63” drivers, a 15’ 2” driver wheelbase, 23’ 10” engine wheelbase and Stephenson valve gear.
Threde other M-6 locomotives have survived. You can see two of these on the Lomita Railroad Museum and SP #1785 and pages of this website. At the time of writing, #1744 was being restored at the Niles Canyon Railway in Sunol, CA.
